Was at this show and the 4/10 show. Heavily dosed for the 10th, slept all day the 11th, and saw the show as "sober" as any show during my multi-decade run.... Just a little weed and a couple beers before going into the show. At the time I raved more about the experience on the 10th [lost a contact lens, went back to where I last remember being able to see, found it on the carpeting], and the music from the 11th. 37 years later, I think the music was fantabulous both nights, but just totally different shows. Which was great for those of us going to both. Still one of my top 5 Scarlet's and jam into Fire [show's I attended] along with Saratoga '83, MSG fall '79, Giants Stadium '78, and Hartford 19/14/83 [blast DP VI all you want, but that was a stellar Scarlet>Fire!!!]. Everything else was very good, but not extraordinary. No crazy, "only when tripping at a Dead show" experience this night. But still, a great time. Long story longer and more tedious, most of the '77 through 12/31/78 shows had some shining moments. Some from start to finish. Some sprinkled throughout. So going to give this one a seemingly mediocre 3 stars because just not special enough to round it up to 4 stars when judged against the other shows from that era. Keep in mind, a spring '78 3 star show is better than a 5 star show from any other touring musician/band regardless of where they were in their career. And I saw Springsteen at his peak as well as U2 early on, and many other "touring monsters". There never was, and never again will be, anything like or as special as, a Grateful Dead concert. Thanks for the past 50 years. Keep on Truckin' on......

It's like the hip word of the month (or past two years..).

I have no idea how jahknee is trying to use it. Maybe it's their next to last review and they got confused? Too much tv?

Sound Q. is as clear as a bell. Interesting S/F.

Hey JAHKNEE: Do you have any idea what the word Penultimate means? You should look it up.

so magical even with disco donna

I read the comments("reviews" is rather dubious, as most just wanted to vent about how THEY feel) only after I listened to the Scarlet>Fire to the end, and all I can say is I was REAl glad to have found this show after consulting my Deadbase IX...this isn't just "solid", it is full of good feeling and great vibes..just listen, that's all...turn off your preconceptions and listen to a penultimate show from 1978-the Scarlet>Fire alone is worth it, but hearing Mickey's extra li'l bounce on a tight Terrapin, and a HUGE Drums (why did everybody hate that part? It was always my fave!) and a Wicked IKO (although it's close but not quite as good as 5 days later!) sure they maybe run outa steam by Sunshine Daydream, but so WHAT? Consider "yerselfs" lucky to ALIVE and listening AT ALL to one of the greatest artistic endeavors of the late 20th century, THE GRATEFUL DEAD! And stop the bitchin', moanin', complaining-for GOD's sake, it's OVER. Isn't that SAD enough? Be thankful you can HEAR it AT ALL-and THANK YOU CHARLIE MILLER! YOU HAVE ENRICHED MY COLLECTION AND MY LIFE!!! WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH , BUT IT"S WHAT I HAVE TO GIVE!!!!!

Listen to about 9.5 minutes into the Terrapin. Bobby's guitar shorts out, there is a bad bad hum. He went to the amp and kicked it. Garcia took over the guitar lines alone from that point on. The drums are so long because folks were working on Bob's setup. It was a wierd feeling. I was about 10 rows back and remember this very well. At the time I remember thinking the Iko Iko wasn't in tune so much, and this reinforces that belief.
Still, I would take the worst show just to be able to see them again. :-)

woo

This show is a good show, don't get me wrong, but I have a few issues with it. First, while it was very popular in late 77 and 78, the 1st set Good Lovin' doesn't quite do it for me. Most Bobby Good Lovin's find me wanting, but it always seems so out of place in the #2 slot. But that doesn't dock this show down any points.

We have a solid show here, folks. Jerry's fully here, the vocals are quite good - Donna doesn't ruin anything here. There are only two problems with this show that keeps it from 5 stars. First is Sunrise. I can't stand that song, and it's an automatic .5 star deduction for me. Second, the post-drums portion of the second set is painfully short. Awesome, but too short! I want to hear more!

Of particular note here are the Scarlet>Fire and the Terrapin.

I agree with He Live's on this show. Probably top 3 of the "slower" Iko Iko's, i might add. Jerry really keeps re-inventing himself here. Stream out from the second set would be my advice.

pedestrian first set maybe....but the sound is great and everything is well executed....

it picks up at DRUMS, as the two take over the show, the segment is 20 minutes and sizzles as they explore different themes courtesy of mickey, who works the steel pans nice-like.

the IKO that follow is HOT SOUL from Jerry, really digging deep as the song climaxes.....top 5 IKOs

Whenever I see a contentious (but polite) and
extended debate emerging over a show or song, I'm always intrigued and make it a point to give
the performance a close listen after carefully
absorbing both sides of the discussion.
In the vast majority of cases, there is considerable merit to both sides of the debate,
and it reduces to a matter of taste or who provides the most incisive commentary based on
an educated musicality or a deep knowledge of
the quintessential personality of the Dead phenomenon.
So I was quite surprised to find myself casting
my opinion very decidedly in the 'nay' camp here!
In this case, the Scarlet-Fire seems
to leave a great deal to be desired, other than
capturing an unusual blue mood early on in the Scarlet. The boys sound tired and the sound system
muddied.
Just my opinion.

Although I agree with Panamint Kid's criticisms of the general publics third grade use of grammar, I believe he or she is a bit too harsh when writing his/her review of this evenings performance of Scarlet->Fire. However, I will say it is rather difficult to judge the top five of anything concerning the Grateful Dead, for the music remains a living entity, and thus the Spirit moves and changes and reveals in differing ways, during different days. With that said, this is a superb concert, deserving a hearty 4 stars.

Panamint kid, You nailed it. That describes this show perfectly. It was hard for me to decide what bothered me about this show. It was such a contrast from the feeling of just one year earlier.

This was our fist Southern experience as Jersey Heads, Hampton followed the next year, I do recall how polite the ushers were and how I mistook the ceiling as an actual display of the Solar System. The Show: I distinctly remember Jerry & Others tinkering on the steel drums stage right, I love Drums and was psyched to see the fellas join the Drummers.The Aiko is laid back after the lenghty drums. The recording is 4 the performance is 4, despite the carbon copy sets of 78' the dead do pull out an above average display of these tunes and treat us to a rare Aiko, Scarlet>Fire is great but not an entree for best ever, Keith was not distinctive and seemed to fade away as the year progressed

I'm surprised at the pronouncements by some of the reviewers that the 4/11 Scarlet>Fire is really that good (Top 5?). I find it to be mediocre for the most part, the segue jam to be mostly aimless and unfocused, nobody in the band is really in sync. Sure, there are a couple of seconds where it seems they might find it, but those are fleeting. I was listening to it while driving and actually had to turn it off it was so distracting. The solos during Fire aren't that bad, but the whole package is pretty lame particularly when you compare this S>F to some of the others in the same timeframe (4/8, 4/16, 4/24. 5/7, etc.).

That said, the rest of the show is enjoyable.

Great Iko Iko, and the fella is right, jerry is one hell of a blues picker. The Scarlet-Fire is without question top 5. The transition is smooth and flows great into Fire. Jerry' solo at the end of Fire is Rousing!! Where's Dick's Picks? What's not to like? My speakers never felt it soooo good.

I've heard a lot of great versions of Scarlet>Fire, and there are probably many great versions I've never heard too. But for some reason I think this one is my favorite. The rest of the set is kinda boring though. For the whl=ole show I can only give a 3, but a 5 for the scarlet>fire.

Where is the Betty Board?

During Garcia's lead at the end of Fire, he creates a couple of new, very memorable melodic phrases. He really was at home inventing on the major scale. Aiko is quintessential, slow, whisky-blurred, low-down, New Orleans. Verse after verse, he shows his complete mastery of blue notes. By the last stanza, you'd think he'd run out of new things to say over this two chord song, but he continues to invent melodically compelling phrases out of thin air. Magnolia is similarly laid back, but his notes are wonderfully sensitive and moving. BTW "Drums" is interminably long.